A financial advisor has beaten 35,000 entrants to win first place and £20,000 in a fantasy fund manager competition.

Jeremy Silverstone, 43, an independent financial advisor from Wimbledon, managed a virtual fund to produce a 20.5 per cent return over the seven months that the competition ran.

Organised by JP Morgan and the Daily Telegraph, the competition attracted thousands of entrants including city analysts, financial professional and amateur investors.

Mr Silverstone said: "What I did in the fantasy game is what I have been largely doing for my clients for real."

"These are very difficult times when a good adviser is important in helping savers chart a course through very stormy waters.

"We are very likely in the middle of perhaps the largest financial storm experienced in 100 years."

Mr Silverstone is a financial advisor for MFS in Wimbledon who were established in 1964.